Bombay's Twins

Elliott and Garrett

The light brunette walked off the plane with her brother in tow. Following, as he grew suspicious about the entire 'living with dad' idea. Neither of them have seen their father since they were eight years old, the siblings had no idea what was coming for them. Five years later and here they stood, in an airport in Minneapolis away from their home on their own. In an unknown town they used to call home a very long time ago, they now come back in search for their father and the American junior hockey team for the Junior Goodwill games.

Elliott sighed and held on to her backpack straps, skipping out of the long hall way covered in endless doors leading to other planes. Garrett kept an eye on his younger sister from time to time as he switched the songs on his Walkman, not wanting to hear his father's voice upon arrival. Elliott stopped, as people from the plane passed by and Garrett ran into her, dropping his Walkman.

Garrett sighed. "Elliot, look what you made me do. Don't stop in the middle of the floor like that." He spoke and crouched down to pick up his Walkman from the ground. Taking his headphones off and set them around his neck, he plugged them back in the earphone jack.

Knitting his brows together, Garrett looked around, wondering where they were supposed to go now. The younger Caldwell twin searched as well, rubbing her hands up and down the straps of her bag as she grew anxious and nervous. Elliott had completely ignored her brother's statement and continued walking.

He followed and the two headed to the other end of the airport, where their bags would be. Putting his headphones back on, Garrett trailed behind once again. This time, he looked out for where he was going and made sure Elliott didn't run off without him. Eliott turned abruptly to face her brother, she went to say something, but kept her mouth shut as she noticed he was focused with the zipper of his bomber jacket.

Rolling her eyes, she jogged over to baggage claim, her bag bounced around behind her as she jogged for it. Getting there, she saw that the bags were already on the conveyer belt and rolling around the loop. She noticed her brother's bag, but left it there because he was old enough to get his own.

Walking up, she grabbed her navy blue suit case, which almost seemed bigger than she was, and hauled if off the conveyer. Gazing back, she found two hockey bags side by side. Reaching her arm out, she grabbed both of them, but wasn't strong and fast enough to get them off without someone piping up. "Here." Garrett said, taking one from her and setting it down. He ran down the line and got the other runaway one.

Walking back, Elliott crossed her arms with her suitcase and brother's hockey bag in front of her. Cocking a brow, she spoke up. "Your bag is still on there."

"Did you see it pass by?" He asked.

She nodded. "Duh, if I didn't, I wouldn't of told you your bag was still there."

He rolled his eyes and walked over. Waiting for his bag to come in sight, he tapped his foot against the ground. Elliott sat on top of her suit case, being careful that it doesn't roll out from beneath her. When Garrett came back, a man was approaching the twins as they stood there, unsure of what to do now.

The man approached with a smile, a wide grin on his face that he couldn't wipe off, wearing quite the fancy suit and shoes. Rubbing his hands together, he looked at the two, nodding, liking what he saw. "Got some muscles on you." He spoke, and Elliott looked away as Garrett smiled, admiring his slowly shaping muscles. "You play defense sometimes?" He asked.

Garrett nodded. "Sometimes, but I usually play right. She's my left." He nods towards his sister, who hadn't looked back at the two.

"Well, I'm Mr. Tibbles. I recruited you two. I would've never known about you two if the Coach didn't tell me about you."

Garrett scoffed and Elliott looked back. "He told you about us?" She asked, bewildered. Uncrossing her arms, she stood off her suit case and held the tall handle. Her hockey bag laid on the ground next to her with Garrett's bag on top of hers.

Mr. Tibbles nodded. "Indeed he did. Now, let's you back to the hotel. You've got practice tomorrow."

"Now, remind me again why we came all the way to the north east for two days when we're going right back over south west?" Garrett asked, looking at the smiling man, who's smile didn't turn into a frown.

Tibbles shrugged. "The Ducks live here, so it's best to meet up here and head out after." He answered. "And I'm not the travel advisor, so don't ask me again."

The twins nodded and picked up their bags, following him outside. Once they were outside, cars were lined up alongside the wide ride, picking up and dropping off people. Buses honked as cars had cut out in front of them. Business men ran frantically inside with hot coffee in their hands as they ran for their boarding flight. Garrett gazed around, the weather was all right for almost being summer and Elliott remembered the town she used to know.

Tibbles escorted them to their taxi where the guy had loaded their bags in the back while Tibbles spoke to the teenage hockey players. "All right, you'll be headed to your hotel where your room will be on the third floor, room 305. The arena you'll be meeting up tomorrow is just down the street and to the left. Be there for one and I'll meet you."

He seemed all too serious, before he seemed too cocky. The twins knew Tibbles was a funny and kinda slow seeming guy, but when it came to business he was serious at work. Tibbles waved and left as the two got into the stranger's taxi. Sitting on either side of the car, they threw their bags in the middle seat.

"He was cheery." Garrett commented. "But what do with dad?"

Elliott shrugged and turned her head to face her brother, who leaned back in his seat, bring his right foot up on his left knee. "I don't know, be nice?" She questioned.

The taxi pulled out of the airport roadside and headed for the hotel. "How? He ditched us."

"Technically we ditched him. We left with mom across the country to Boulder City."

"So, Nevada isn't far for a rich man to fly." Garrett retorted, making his point clear.

Elliott knew just as well as her mother that Garrett was upset about this. Their mother was upset with their father ever since they moved. She always called him so her kids to talk to him, but he never answered. Constantly busy, she had stopped calling him two and a half years ago. Now, she has passed and the children were forced back in their father's custody. Knowing they'd be alone most of the time and stuck with babysitters or someone, they were upset and frustrated.

Garrett never had a father growing up and even though his mother had a boyfriend, he couldn't take care of kids that weren't his. Garrett liked her boyfriend, he seemed like more of a dad than his actual dad. Elliott didn't like her mother's boyfriend, he wasn't into girls playing boys' sports. Nowadays, girls could do anything a boy could do and more.

"It is when a rich man is constantly busy." Elliott reminded her brother.

He threw his hands in the air in frustrating, letting them slap his thighs when they came back down. "Come on, like he even wants us. I'm sure he's happy we're going off to LA for a good three weeks or so for these Games."

"Maybe, but what if he changed?"

Garrett chuckled and shook his head. "A workaholic? Changed?" He continued laughing. "No, have you ever heard of an alcoholic being sober for more than five years? Without one drop of juice?"

Elliott shook her head. "No, but maybe-"

"No maybes, Ellie, come on, let's drop it."

She nodded and grew quiet.

The twins are very close and do just about everything together. They go to the movies as each others' dates and help each other with homework. They've played hockey since the age of four years old, been to state twice, and won once. They've travelled to different places across the world with their mother during holidays. They've met people here and there, but no matter what, the twins couldn't live without the other. If one had made it on the Junior Games team and the other didn't, neither of them would go. It's how they roll, simple and slow.